And the Rainbow Flies Again: CDA Half Marathon Recap

I have slacked on my blogging, but not on my walking.  The Coeur d'Alene Half Marathon was yesterday.  I was nervous at first, but this race was proof that I have been gaining much more endurance than I ever imagined.  I also came out of this race with many friends, encouragement for the future, and so much more!

This race was very different than the last two I have done.  It was tiny!  Such a small field of participants:  full marathoners, half marathoners, and 5Kers.  Just under two thousand participants total, where the other two have over 10,000.  Also interesting about this race, and discouraging was that the course was an out and back.  This means you go so far out on the course, and then turn around and come back the same way you came.  As a half, this wasn't so bad.  But the full marathoners had to do the same loop twice.  Let me just say now, when the time comes for me to do a full, this will NOT be the race I will do unless the course is changed. The nice part was that my partner was joining me again for a half marathon.  You will recall that we did the first one together.


We arrived to the race a little later than I had liked thanks to my lead foot and some radar gun that was unfortunately positioned in my way.  I was a bit excited to head to this race.  Oops!  We found parking right at the starting/finish line, and got lined up ready to head out.  Once again I was wearing the rainbow flag.  As Idaho recently issued a stay on the verdict on the ban of same sex marriage being unconstitutional, and the case will go to court in September, I felt it was appropriate to show visibility again.  Many high 5's, and words of encouragement were shared at the starting line and along the course.


As I complain a lot about this course I must admit, it really is beautiful!  Most of the race is along the east edge of Lake Coeur d'Alene.  Thankfully it was not so hot yet that the humidity was kept at bay.  I am a total water lover, so as I was going I kept imagining myself in a kayak enjoying the water.  I have done that through this area of the lake with much enjoyment.  Sadly, I do not own a kayak now, and race registrations take away from the chance of owning one soon.  While I do not like out and backs, this one was filled with nature that kept me engaged.



We met a lot of people along the course.  The purple people were marathoners, and requested that they take a picture with us.  The interesting thing is that one of the purple people knew a friend of ours who met us along the course!  Small world.



I also met another woman named Linda.  She has been through her own extensive journey to get to this point.  Her husband, friend, and her were always neck and neck with us.  Sometimes we would be ahead, and sometimes, they would pass us.  Every time Linda would go to pass us, I would speed up with her.  She would walk faster, as would I.  She would jog, as would I.  Kendra would stay and talk to her husband.  This was her first half marathon, and I am so happy she is able to do them :)

As for my race, it was great!  I had a pre-race meal of a banana and peanut butter which seemed to be working very well for me.  I ate a banana around mile 8 as I figured I should do so as I never did eat it at mile 5 like normal.  I never tortured myself with goo.   I learned that HEED is a decent electrolyte drink, so long as it is not the strawberry flavor.  I learned that I like going uphill compared to downhill.  I learned that I could run, and run much longer than just 10 seconds at a time.  I also learned that I really like a little competition.  The ladies with the black pants and skirts were never going to pass me again.  The other ladies that we met and were also neck and neck with were not going to pass me at the end.  And when you bond with someone and see them dropping in mile 12, you don't care about your own time, you make sure they are okay because if they aren't, you are going to be carrying them across that finish line no matter what!  I also learned that I get in a zone.

A friend of ours met us in mile 12.  I realized how unfriendly I am when in a race.  Not intentional, but I was not my normal self.  I was on a mission to finish.  I was focused and driven.  Once I crossed the finish line, received my medal, and had a moment to relish in the moment of knowing I had completed another race, I looked at my friend and explain, "Okay, now I can be me!"  Lucky for me, she understood.  I never realized how much of a difference from race me and normal me there really is until now.

And for my time...I dropped more time:  3:52:33



I got under 4!  I was thrilled with myself!  Kendra was thrilled to have done her second race.  I was thankful for everyone who was there to cheer us on.  But now it was time to cheer on Linda and her crew.

I talked to the people handing out medals.  They allowed me to hand Linda her's, and Kendra handed Linda's husband his.  She made it!  She is a half marathoner!  She helped push me, and I learned that I helped push her.  Some pictures of us all taken, a sharing of contact information, and a desire to do this together again was all had. 



We also took pictures with the two people that were also neck and neck with us that I wasn't going to let pass at the end.  They, too, wish to do this again with us.  It was like we were making half marathon family as we went.  As small as this race was, the energy was so high, and the support was even more grand than could ever be expected. 


Stay tuned for Wednesday when I will announce my next race.  If things go as I hope, and I throw caution to the wind, it might be much sooner than anyone expects.

Bloomsday Recap

On Sunday was a 12K in my city, and I was blessed to have my partner and Chewy join me for it.  Great time had by the three of us.  This was technically Chewy's second 12K, but her first done on her own two feet, and her longest race to date.  She did great, and as you will read, is already making plans.  As for me, this was my 8th time doing this race.  It was much better this time around compared to my last Bloomsday experience with the broken stroller.

The time was 745am, and it is well known in my town that Bloomsday means 50,000+ runners take over the streets of downtown, and then wind their way around the west side of the city.  This also means that roads are closed, parking is horrible, and if you can take mass transit, you should!  We opted to take the city bus which was running a special from a mall near us to the race starting point.  This started to feel a lot like Phoenix since I took a bus there, but this time it was sunny and warm, and I wasn't being dropped off at the edge of a desert. 

Bloomsday has a staggered start.  The wheelchairs leave before 9am.  Elite runners leave at 9am.  Everyone else just starts in 10 minute intervals for about an hour or so after the elite.  By the time we started, the elite runners were crossing the finish line.  I will not be running a 12K in 34 minutes, and I am just fine with that.  But they really are amazing to watch.  We did get to see the awards ceremony, and it was so interesting to hear the accomplishments of these runners.
This is the race that reminded me of how much more training I need to do with hills.  I have gotten a little lazy with hill work.  Spokane is a tough place to race because of all the hills, and Bloomsday has its fair share of them including one hill lovingly called Doomsday.  It is a 3/4 mile climb!  Guess where I will be spending more time.  But one of the best parts of this race was at the bottom of this hill.  A woman filled a wagon with bananas of every color (some green, some yellow, some browning), and was selling them for $1 each.  The top of the hill is the 5 mile mark, and if you have kept up with me, you know I eat a banana at 5 miles.  $3 later, we each were munching on this quick energy source, and Chewy was expressing how grand it was to have this.  Perfect bit of energy before tackling this hill.  On this hill, we found Waldo...

This is somewhere along Mile 6.  Clearly Chewy is similar to her mother, always smiling in race photos.


Aside from the hills, this race was easy for me.  Short distance which didn't leave me feeling worn out at the end, or even through the rest of the day.  Good reminder of what I need to work on.  Excellent way for me to evaluate what I need to do for my next race.  And most of all, it reminded me about my need for people.  Bloomsday has such a large community following here.  People throw parties at their homes just to cheer on runners.  Chewy also commented on how she enjoyed the community support.  She found it energizing and encouraging.  As tired as she was (double header soccer games the day before, plus everything else soccer and running related during the week), she was able to keep going thanks to the crowds.

The time:  2:21:09.  18:55 mile. 

Perfect!  Not so slow that it was dreadful.  Not so fast that I was exhausted.  No soreness.  Great pace as we just followed Chewy's lead and she was worn out before the race ever started.  If I was to keep that same pace, a half would be completed in my normal 4 hours and a couple minutes time.  I consider Bloomsday a success.  Chewy is already asking that we make this a family tradition every spring.  I suspect that we will jog some of it in future years.  Medals are not given after this race, but we do get lovely shirts.



So what is the future plan of racing?  Chewy and I have a couple 5Ks this summer.  But the next race for me is in...

18 Days for the CDA Half.

Donations Requested for Special Olympics

I am going to take a moment to talk about someone near and dear to me.  This is Kendra.  You will recognize her as the person I did my first half marathon with.  Here we are today, picking up our race packets for the 12K on Sunday, and I just volunteered her to rappel 20 stories off a building here in town for the Special Olympics.  Good thing she was willing! 

You see, the Special Olympics has always been very near and dear to Kendra's heart.  She has spent a lot of time working with people who live with special needs of all sorts.  Even during her youth, she was often volunteering her time to assist others that are often overlooked by society.  During my recovery from knee surgery, she was the main person who helped make sure my needs were met.  When Kendra first heard about this fundraiser a few years ago, she was not in a position to attempt the rappel.  Today is a different story.  She is ready and willing.  And with a $25 donation from me to secure her spot, she now has a chance to really make this happen.

What I am asking is that you look into your hearts, and your wallets, and consider donating to her cause.  $650 is what it takes for one athlete to have training, equipment, and competition through the Special Olympics for one year.  $650 is what Kendra must raise to be able to rappel off the 20 story building.  I hate heights!  I will take pictures from the safety of the ground below.  But for Kendra, this is exciting, and for a wonderful cause.  Every little bit adds up, and will go to support an athlete and their dreams.

Click here to support Kendra and the Special Olympics of Washington.

Kendra's rappel date is Friday June 27th. 
Thank you!

Tai Chi and Race Weekend

It has been an interesting month.  Lots of walking, but not much mileage counting.  I know I have done very well: walking with friends, during soccer practices, along a beach during a weekend getaway.  I cannot complain.  It has also been nice to see that spring is in full force, which also means allergies are rearing their ugly head.  So far, I have been okay.

I have been taken under the wing of a professor at a local community college.  I actually took his class many years ago as an online course, and didn't get much out of it.  He lets me sit in on his lecture class now, has talked to me about guest lecturing later this term, and really, is a generally nice person with so much knowledge!  Today I was invited to his tai chi workshop.  Well, as you should already know, I never say no to trying something new, except I will say no to jumping out of an airplane. 

Tai chi has been something I have been interested in but never tried.  Yoga was not a positive experience.  To me, I felt like I was just supposed to hold poses, breathe, and clear my mind.  I think of everything else that I could be doing, even if all I could be doing is napping.  Tai chi was just as relaxing and breathing focused, but I was continually moving.  I liked it!  A lot!  I actually found myself very centered, and could easily ignore all that was going on around me.  Considering I was in a loud student union building of an area college during a busy time, and my mind is usually always going, this says quite a bit.  I need to look into doing this more often.  I see this as a healthy self relaxation exercise that I can do anywhere.  And how it seemed to center me throughout the rest of my day was fantastic.  I didn't know what I was doing, but it felt good.  The next workshop is in a little over a week, and you can be sure that I will be there.  One thing I can say is that I am a little sore now.  I think part of that might have to do with the fact I had a massage today.  The other part I feel is that I used muscles I am always using, but in a different manner.  This is good sore though, and I suspect that by morning, I will be wanting to do some sort of exercise, but I need to rest.

This Sunday is a race for me.  Chewy is doing her longest race on her own two feet and joining me on a 12K.  She does 5Ks with ease, but wanted to try this race.  We did it back when she was 3, and I pushed her in a stroller.  Yeah, not such a grand experience.  It was fun, even if the stroller was broken and I was horribly out of shape.  Now I am in a much better place.  I am also curious how Chewy will do.  I plan to just walk her pace, and really do not care how long it takes us.  We will also have several friends joining us.  This race is known to attract 50,000 or so participants from all over the world.  I know that Chewy has been doing the training that her school offers, plus is in the world of soccer, so she will do great.  This is also a good race for me since I have my next half at the end of the month.  Or really, it will just remind me that I need to practice walking in heat more often. 

12K with Chewy and friends:  3 Days
CDA Half Marathon:  24 Days